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TIMETABLE FROM BOSTON. 



Old Colony Line. — Tiains leave Station, coiner of South antl Kneeland 
Streets, for Martha s X'uicyard^ at 8, 11.15. A.M., and 4, P.M., connecting with 
steamers, Rivek Qiekx and Island Home, at Woods Hole, reaching Martha's 
Vineyard at 1 1 30, A.M. 
arriving at Martha's Vin 

For Nantucket 
Saturdays, only ; 5 45, / 
leaving at 4, PIM., the t 
on Sundays, hy a similai 

New Bedford ] 
Columbus Avenue, for 



> .^ ^ ->^ p \/r. On Sundays, leave Boston at 5. 45, A.M., 

# "7^ ~ ^ Cottage City, and 

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'C ., Park Square and 

. I ..M., and 2, P.M., 

connecting \yith the St( | UNITED STATES OF A.MERIC.A ^ lOIiANSETT at New 



Bedford. 

Running Time, froi. 



v^.. .V. ^....... ,...c» o , ...v,cv.^, .^iwwi..; .■) '1-2 hours. 

By taking the early morning train down, and the last boat from the island at 
night, ample time is atlbrded for a thorough inspection of the Summer City and its 
surroundings. 

By both Lines, the fare for the round trip between Boston and Martha's Vineyard 
is $3.65 ; to Nantucket, $4.85. 



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IsT^IsTTTJCICET 



WITH A DIRECTORY OF THE COTTAGE CITY. 




BOSTON: 
ROCKWELL & CHURCHILL, PRINTERS, 39 ARCH STREET. 

1876. 

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WHERE IS MARTHA'S VINEYARD? 

■WHIEI^IE] IS I<T^lsrTTJOICET ? 

How can they be reached? What are their Attractions, and what are 
the Accommodations for Travellers? 



To furnish an answer to such questions as these, -so generally asked 
since the tide of travel has strongly set towards Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, - 
and to give reliable information concerning the islands and the neighbor- 
'ino- localhies; and also to supply the demand for an accurate Directory 
of°Cottage Residents of the Camp-Ground, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Highlands, 
were th'e objects had in view in the preparation of this wirk, which is 
now submitted to the public. 

Jvlistakes will doubtless be discovered by those who scan these pages. 
In order that another edition may be free from errors, any person who notices 
them will confer a favor by giving the proper reading in a note addressed to 
the Publishers of the Guide, Box X. H., Vineyard Grove Post-Office. 

Eutered according to an Act of Congress, in the year 1876, hy 

Richard L. Pease and Sumner Myrick, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



MARTHA'S VINEYARD. 



Martha's Vineyard, the largest island of New England, — Mount Desert being the next 
in size, — lies off the southern coast of Massachusetts, at a distance of a little less than three 
miles and a half between the nearest points, — Nobska, at the entrance to Woods Hole, and 
West Chop, at the entrance to Vineyard Haven. The West Chop Light-house, which is 
near the northern extremity of Martha's Vineyard, lies in 41 degrees, 28 minutes, 58 seconds, 
north latitude, and 70 degrees, 36 minutes, 25 seconds, west longitude. 

From the landing at Oak Bluffs wharf, the distance to Boston, by boat and rail, is 78 
miles ; to Providence, 66 miles ; to Newport, 55 miles, either by boat and rail, or by the sea- 
route ; and to Nantucket, by boat, 2jh miles. 

The extreme length of the island, from east to west, is about twenty miles. At one point 
it is ten miles wide, the average width being about five and a half miles. 

The eastern part of the island is quite level. A range of hills begins near Lambert's 
Cove, in Tisbury, running southwesterly, nearly parallel with the coast-line, and terminating at 
Gay Head. The highest peak, — Prospect Hill, in Chilmark, — the property of Saniuel 
Flanders, Esq , is two hundred ninety-eight feet in height. The view from Prospect is grand 
and beautiful. The Vineyard Sound, whitened by numerous sails constantly passing, the 
Elizabeth Islands, the shore of Falmouth, Buzzard's Bay, and the lands beyond it, New Bed- 

(3) 



ford, Newport, and Block Island, — each in turn attracts the attention and fixes the gaze of the 
delighted observer. 

Porte Crayon ' says : — " To the lover of nature the views from the breezy hill-tops, which 
rise to the westward of Tisbury, offer varied and uncommon attractions. Around and beneath 
him he may see, looking eastward, the extensive plain that lies toward Edgartown, like a sea of 
greensward, with islands of stunted forest and white farm-houses dotted over its surface, like 
sails on the ocean. To the west is a tumult of hills, grass-covered, specked with flocks of 
sheep, and broken with numerous detached and massive granite rocks, which seem to have no 
kindred with the earth where they are found, but are said by geologists to have been brought 
there by icebergs informer times. Perhaps they were; but who knows? Among the trees 
that flourish in the valleys One may see the occasional glitter of a lake, half-hidden, like a coy 
maiden peeping from an embowered window. To the south a long, straight line of yellow sand- 
beach is visible, where the surf flashes and thunders eternally." 

While Nantucket and all the Elizabeth Islands, except Naushon, once well covered with 
woods, now show few or no trees of indigenous growth, Martha's Vineyard still has a large 
extent of woodland. Visitors are surprised to see a forest extending for miles without a break, 
or trace of cultivation. The trees, to be sure, are inconsiderable in size, not the sturdy giants 
found by the first settlers ; but the many-varied shapes of their leaves excite admiration. 
" They are all of a deep, rich hue, with a wonderful gloss, surpassing in brilliancy anything we 
get on tlie main-land." 

This lovely island has long attracted the admiration of visitors. The naturalist finds in its 
vegetable and animal life some specimens seldom met with elsewhere. The heathrhen, whose 
home is the Western prairies, is here found ; also a wood-mouse, of a species distinct from any 
on the main-land. And then there is the algae ! — Httle mimic trees of the most exquisite beauty, 
and of almost infinite variety ! " Here are ribbons, green, purple, olive, crimson, red ; and here 
are ruffles and lace, of richer hue and more delicate tracery than any that grace the robe of a 

queen." 

' Harijer's Magazine, September, 18(50. 

(4) 



From all points the island is more like the Isle of Wiglit than thinc^s are often like eirh 
o her m this world. In its place, with reference to the main, its size, form, and surface, the 
island IS a singular reproduction of the lovely garden-isle of England. It only wants the rich 
culture, which time will surely bring, to give it an equal beauty. The likeness of the two 
islands IS singularly extended to the details. Every one who has been to the Isle of Wi<^ht 
knows the gay-colored cliffs of yellow, red, and white sands at Alum Bay. In the correspond- 
ing place on Martha's Vineyard, we have the similarly painted cliffs of Gay Head so like to 
the English scene, that from some points of view one picture might have served for either " ' 
There are four towns upon the island, - Edgartown, Tisbury, Chilmark, and Gay Head 
Edgartown occupies the eastern end of the island, and includes within its limits the far- 
famed Camp-Ground, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Highlands, Katama, and other widely-known 
summer resorts. The soil is chiefly light and sandy, and the surface generally level, or slightly 
undulating. The harbor is capacious, and one of the best along the coast, the inner harbor 
being entirely land-locked. The village is compactly built, and adjoins the harbor. Here are 
three churches, Congregationalist, Baptist, and Methodist ; a bank, masonic lodge, custom-house 
court-house, jail, and county offices. A weekly paper, the " Vinevard Gazette,'' edited by Ed-ar 
Marchant, Esq., has reached its thirty-first volume. Several hotels and boarding-houses furnish 
pleasant and comfortable homes for the traveller. Boats, under the charge of experienced and 
careful boatmen, can always be found for a trip to the fishing-grounds. Noted for the salubrity 
of Its air, its cool, comfortable nights, its uncommon healthfulness, its general good order and 
freedom from vice and vicious influences, with ample means for boating and bathing, and frequent 
and cheap access by railroad to the South Beach, Katama, Oak Bluffs, and other summer re- 
sorts, Edgartown offers to the visitor a pleasant, quiet, sea-side home. Population, in 1875, i 707 
Tisbury comprises the central part of the island. The soil is heavier and better than 
that at the eastern end. It is well wooded with pines and oaks, — chiefiv oaks, — few of which 
reach as large a size as those which formerly abounded on the island ; it being the custom to cut 
»Prof. Shaler, in •' Atlantic Monthly," December, 1874. 
(S) 



down the whole growth of woodland about three times in a hundred years. The pnnc.pa v, 1- 
laceis Vineyard Haven, formerly called Holmes' Hole, very pleasantly situated on the westerly 
sirore of the Haven, and containing a population of about one thousand, with three churches and 
a chapel and' free reading-room for seamen, and a masonic lodge. The v,s,tor wdl find pleasant 
acconLodations at the hotels and boarding-houses. In the immediate vicmUy are lovely wood- 
land rambles, of which the visitor will not soon tire. r u .-f i u ,..t.r 

Two charming summer resorts have been laid out by the waters of a beautiful salt-water 
pond, called Waq^ataqua, or Lagoon Pond, and but a short ride from the village -- Cedar Neck 
owned byC. C. Hine, Esq., of New York, and Oklahoma, owned by Edward Ingraham and 
Wallace Barnes, of Bristol, Connecticut. 

A road leading from the Camp-Ground to West Tisbury, another pretty v-.llage, w>th ,ts 
Academy and Agricultural Hall, passes through some old trees, not lofty, but venerab e in ap- 
pearand" festooned as they are with a long, pendulous moss, - " Old gray-beards, God s patn- 
arc's that never sinned ; they are the forest kings of the island. The species is not found in any 
other part of New England." Population, in 1875, i, 525- ^ , ^ , i 1, 

Chilmark, so called after a place of that name in Wiltshire, England, comprehends alj 
that portion of the Vineyard lying between Tisbury and Gay Head, and also the -land o No 
Manis Land, which "being not inhabited, or claimed by any, it was supposed to belong o no 
^Z '' A 1 rge proportion of the surface is hilly, in many places thickly strown with boulders 
o ifferent kinds of rocks, varying in size from fifty pounds to hundreds o tons 
Chv of different colors are found in abundance ; and large deposits of peat are stored to meet 
future demnds. At Roaring Brook, a place attractive for its natural scenery extensive bnck- 
lorks have been erected, with the most improved machinery. The clay used is found m inex 
haustible quantities, in the immediate vicinity. , , o.i;,.r to Tiv 

On the farm of Herman Vincent, Esq., in Chilmark, not far trom the road leading to Gay 
Head is a "rocking stone," a large rock, .so nicely balanced on another rock, that it can easily 
be put in motion by a slight pressure of the hand. Population, m 1875, 508. 

(6) 



Gay Head contains tlie penmsula which has so long borne that name. It was formerly 
called by the Indians Aquinnah. It became a town April 30, 1870, with a population of about 
two hundred souls. 

TJie surface is very irregular, abounding in hills and valleys, ponds and s\vamps, fine pas- 
ture-land and barren beach, with occasional patches of trees and tilled land. Of its rare 
attractions special mention will hereafter be made. 

Gosnold was incorporated as a town March 17, 1864. It consists of the group known as 
the Elizabeth Islands, thirteen in number. Up to that time, these islands had formed a part of 
the town of Chilmark. The name of the town is one peculiarly appropriate, honoring the mem- 
ory of Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold, of whom special mention is made on a later page. Nau- 
shon, the largest of the group, belongs to. Hon. Jolin M. Forbes, of Milton, and is occupied 
by tenants, he and his son having their summer residences there. It is about seven miles long, 
and, in some places, more than a mile wide. For many years the woods have been spared ; the 
axe has not been lifted up upon them. A fine grove of noble beech-trees will amply repay a 
visit. Perhaps, too, a deer may be seen feeding in the forest wild, and undomesticated, fleeing 
with rapid leaps at the approach of man. The owner treats his friends annually, to the rare ex- 
citement of a deer-hunt. It is a lovely island ; and '' there is no spot in nature where earth, air, 
and water seem more favorably combined to stimulate the body to vigorous and hardy health, or 
excite the fancy to bold and dashing adventure." The island was in the possession of the May- 
hews from 1641 to 1682, when it passed to the Winthrop family ; and from them, in 1730, to the 
Bowdoin family, in whose possession it remained until 1843, when it was purchased by William 
W. Swain, Esq., of New Bedford, — who occupied it until his death, — and by the present occu- 
pant, Mr. Forbes. " Sept. y'' 12th, 1702. The house on the east end of Elizabeth Islands was 
raised." This was a "centennial" house. Population, in 1875, 115. 

(7) 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE ISLAND. 

To Bartholomew Gosnold belongs the honor of discovering and naming Martha's Vineyard, 
in the year 1602, near the end of the long reign of Queen Elizabeth ; of building the first house, 
and commencing the first settlement in New England. He and liis companions, men of more 
than ordinary culture and ability, were "the real founders of permanent habitation and indis- 
putable title within our national bounds." He had the further honor, four years later, of being 
the first mover of the permanent plantation of Virginia. 

On Friday, March 26, 1602, Capt. Gosnold set sail from Falmouth, in England, in a small 
bark, belonging to Dartmouth, called the " Concord." He had with him thirty-two persons, eight 
of whom were mariners. The names of some of the company have been preserved : Capt, 
Bartholomew Gilbert, Robert Salterne, John Brereton, Master Robert Merriton, and Capt. 
Gabriel Archer were of the number. It was the intention that twelve should return to England 
in the bark, and that the rest should remain behincl as settlers. 

Having previously made the voyage to Virginia in one of the ships employed by Raleigh, 
he was convinced that the route across the Atlantic, then usually taken, was not the shortest and 
safest way. Gosnold was manly enough to act up to his convictions, and was the first navigator 
to take a straight course across the ocean. The route he chose shortened the distance, as 
Brereton says, " the better part of a thousand leagues." He first made land on Friday, May 
14th. On the next day he anchored near a cape, in fifteen fathoms ; saw herring, mackerel, and 
other small fish in great abundance, and " took great store of codfish ; " for which reason he called 
its name Cape Cod, — "the first name bestowed by an Englishman on any part of the coast," 
which name it still retains, although sundry other names have since been bestowed upon it, — 
and which, as Mather says, in his " Magnalia," " I suppose it will never lose till shoals of codfish 
be seen swimming upon the tops of its highest hills." 

On Friday, May 21, Gosnold saw No Man's Land, " a disinhabited island," to which he gave 

(S) 



the name of Martha's Vineyard, which was afterwards apphed to the larger island, now so 
called.' " In circuit this island is five miles ; the place most pleasant ; for the two and twentieth 
we went ashore, and found it full of wood, vines, gooseberry bushes, whortleberries, raspberries, 
ecrlantines, etc. Here we had cranes, stearnes, shoulers, geese, and divers other birds, which 
there at that time, upon the cliiTs, being sandy with some rocky stones, did breed and had 
youn^ In this place we saw deer. Here we rode in eight fathoms near the shore, where we 
took -reat store of cod, - as before at Cape Cod, - but much better." " The four and twentieth 
we set sail, and doubled the- cape of another island next unto it, which we called Dover Cliff." 
This cape is now known as Gay Head. The island of Cuttyhunk, then " altogether unpeopled 
and disinhabited," Gosnold called Elizabeth's Island. 

On Friday May 28, 1602, the party.determined to make their "abode and plantation " on a 
"rocky islet containing near an acre of ground full of wood," situated in a lake of fresh water, 
"almost three English miles in compass," on the northwest side of Cuttyhunk, separated from 
the sea by a narrow beach. " We built our house, and covered it. with sedge, which grew about 
this lake in -reat abundance ; in building whereof we spent three weeks and more." 

Brereton who accompanied Gosnold, in his account of the voyage, published in 1602, says, 
'. The rhiefest trees of this island " -and whether he is speaking of No Man's Land, or one of the 
other islands, it is difficult to determine -" are beeches and cedars, the outward parts all 
overgrown with low bushy trees, three or four feet in height, which bear some kind of frmts, as 
appeared by their blossoms ; strawberries, red and white, as sweet, and much bigger than ours in 
Enc^land • raspberries, gooseberries, whortleberries, and such an incredible store of vines, - as well 
in the woody part of the island, where they run upon every tree, as on the outward parts, - that 
we could not go for treading upon them." And again, " This island is full of high timbered oaks, 
their leaves thrice as broad as ours ; cedars, straight and tall ; beech, elm, holly, walnut trees m 
abundance ; hazel-nut trees, cherry trees, the leaf, bark and bigness not diifenng from ours m 
England, but the stalk beareth the blossom or fruit at the end thereof, like a cluster of grapes, 

1 Ilaveti, in Lowell Instituti' Lectures, pnge 141. 
(9) 



forty or fifty in a bunch ; sassafras trees, great plenty all the island over, a tree of high price 
and profit : also divers other fruit trees, some of them with strange barks of an orange color, in 
feeling soft and smooth like velvet. In the thickest parts of these woods you may see a furlong 
or more round about." 

Some of the company that had vowed to stay in the country grew dissatisfied, and began to 
make revolt, and thus the project of settlement failed. Three days more were spent in takfng on 
board sassafras and cedar, furs, skins, and other commodities ; and then, on Friday, June" 1 8, 
the " Concord," with the whole company, sailed for England, arriving on Friday, July 23, 1602. 
" We had not a man sick tvvo days together in all our voyage," and such was the " wholesome- 
ness and temperature of the climate .... that we found our health and strength all the 
while we remained there so to renew and increase, as notwithstanding our diet and lodging was 
none of the best, yet none of our company, God be thanked, felt the least grudging or indination 
to any disease or sickness, but were much fatter and in better health than when we went out of 
England." In a letter to his father, Capt. Gosnold says, " When we came to anchor before 
Portsmouth, which was some four days after we made the land, we had not one cake of bread, 
nor any drink, but a little vinegar left." 

Sassafras was then lield in high esteem in England, the roots bringing three shillings per 
pound, or £^t,6 per ton. As, in Shakespeare's time, it was held that " spermaceti was the sover- 
eignest thing on earth for an inward bruise," so, two hundred and fifty years ago, sassafras 
was deemed a panacea for the ills of life. 

This cargo was the first exported from New England ; how large the quantity we have no 
means of knowing. Gosnold, however, says, " We were informed before our going forth that 
a ton was sufficient to cloy England." 

The little rocky islet, at Elizabeth Island, on which Gosnold and his company began their 
" fort and place of abode, disposing itself so fit for the same," has become historic ground. This 
was the ''/irsf spot in New England ocaipied by Europeans, and the only one inhabited by 
iheni in the glorious days of Queen Bess." 

(.0) 



" Excepting the fishery at Newfoundland, the Europeans were, at that time, in actual pos- 
session of no pJrt of North America, though the English claimed a right to the whole, by virtue 
of prior discovery." — Belknap, II., loo. 

• Another writer speaks more guardedly, declaring that wlien Gosnold visited America, -tliere 
was no European inhabitant of North America, except those of Spanish birth in Florida, and 
twenty or thirty French in New France." 

That the desire should exist to verify, if possible, the accounts left us of the visit of Gos- 
nold, is not strange. Actuated by this motive. Rev. Dr. Belknap, with Noah Webster and 
several other friends, made a personal visit, June 20, I797, to the Elizabeth Islands. He says, 

" The protecting hand of nature has reserved this favorite spot to herself. 

We had the supreme satisfaction to find the cellar of Gosnold's storehouse." 

Twenty years afterwards a party of seven, of whom were Hon. Francis Gray, and Judge 
Davis arranged an excursion to search for the remains of the house and fort built by Gosnold, 
on the httle islet in the pond at Cuttyhunk. An account of their visit can be found in the " North 
American Review," for September, 18 17. " Every feature of the scene reminded us of the narra- 
tive of its discoverers. The trees, indeed, have fallen and left no trace of their existence, except 
the term, Copicut, shady, the appellation of a lofty promontory, extending from the centre of the 
island toward the north ; but the soil is still fertile ; the beach, the lake, the islet, are unaltered, 
and are rendered by their natural beauties, no less than by the recollections with which they are 
associated, well worthy of the attention of a poet. The gigantic rocks near the western coast of 
the island, against which the waves dash with the foam and the fury and the deafening noise ot 
a cataract^ vrould form as grand a picture, in an epic poem, as Acroceraunia or Charybdis." 

Still another visit is recorded, — see Thornton's Landing at Cape Ann, p. 21. August 22, 
1848 J Wincrate Thornton, Esq., of Boston, in company with Hon. George Folsom, of New 
York and F^W Sawyer, Esq., of Boston, "examined the locality described with minute exact- 
ness 'in the journals of Gosnold's voyage, and the outlines of their works were then distinctly 

visible." 

(11) 



In October, 1641, Thomas Mayhew, of Watertown, and his son Thomas, bought of the 
agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and of the agent of the Earl of Stirling, all their right and title 
in and to Nantucket, Martha's Vine\'ard, and the Elizabeth Islands. The next year, the settle- 
ment of the Vineyard was commenced at Edgartown, which was called Great Harbor until July 8, 
1671, when the present name was given. Thomas Mayhew, Jr., became pastor of the church, 
and was the first person who entered upon the work of evangelizing the natives. In this woi^ 
he had eminent success, and his name is deservedly held in high esteem. He was lost at sea in 
November, 1657, at the early age of thirty-seven ; while his co-laborer, the apostle Eliot, survived 
to fill out the measure of his days. 

Nantucket was settled in 1659. Five years later, in 1664, by charter from King Charles to 
his brother James, Duke of York, these islands became a part of New York, and thus remained 
until by the charter of William and Mary, which was made known in 1692, they, with Plymoutli 
Colony, were embraced in the limits of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. 



TIDES AND CURRENTS. 

The peculiar character of the tides and the singular force and complex movements of the 
currents, in the vicinity of Martha's Vineyard, long since attracted the attention of observing 
men ; but the laws which governed them were among the hidden mysteries of nature, to be 
revealed only to him who had the wisdom to devise proper modes of investigation, the patience 
to note, and the skill to record the complex phenomena, and the intellect to evolve, arrange, and 
duly combine them into an intelligible and harmonious system. 

Twenty years ago, under the direction of the late Prof. Bache, then at the head of the 
United States Coast Survey Service, Henry Mitchell, a native of Nantucket, now widely 
known as one of the ablest engineers of America, then fresh to the service, young, enthusiastic, 
of rare intelligence, and heartily devoted to the cause of science, undertook ihe difficult task to 

(«) 



make the requisite observations, and to elucidate tlie problem. This task he performed, as 
Prof. Bache declared, "with signal ability on his part." 

For the purposes of tidal notation, the coast of the United States has been divided into 
three great physical divisions, — the great southern bay, from Cape Florida to Cape Hatteras ; 
the middle bay, from Cape Hatteras to the eastern part of Nantucket (Siasconsett) ; and the 
eastern bay, from Siasconsett to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. The tide wave entering each of 
these bays increases in height as it runs towards the head of the bay. 

The mean rise and fall of the tides in the vicinity of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket 13 
very inconsiderable, although differing in a marked degree in localities but slightly remote from 
each other, as will be seen by this statement : the mean rise and fall of tides at Edgartown being 
2 feet ; at Wash qua and Vineyard Haven, 1.7 feet; at Woods Hole, south side, 1.6 feet; at 
Woods Hole, north side, 4 feet; at Tarpaulin Cove, 2.3 feet; at Cuttyhunk, 3.1 feet; at 
Menamsha, 2.7 feet ; at Nantucket, 3.1 feet; at Newport, 3.9 feet; at Siasconsett, on the east 
side of Nantucket, 2.2 feet ; while at Weeweder, at the south side of Nantucket, only 8 
miles distant, it is 1.2 feet. From Nantucket, northwesterly, the heights rapidly increase, being 
9.2 feet at Provincetovvn, 10 feet at Boston, and upwards of 50 feet at the head of the Bay of 
Fundy. 

In the Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound takes place the remarkable change of between 
three and four hours in the time of the tides, "the great change of our coast, dislocating, as it 
were, the times of high water at places south and west and east and north of Nantucket. The 
whole of this change takes place between the eastern entrance of Nantucket Sound and the 
western entrance of the Vineyard Sound, giving rise to quite a complex condition of both tides 
and currents, which it has occupied much time to unravel." The two nodes, or points of 
interference, are West Chop, the northern point of Martha's Vineyard, and Weeweder, the south- 
erly point of Nantucket. At' these points there are four high tides each day. "At Gay 
Head on the one hand, and Monomoy at the other, the waves are simple in character, and almost 
without trace of interference. At Gay Head, and at points along the coast to the southward, 

(•3) 



hi^h water occurs at intervals of seven and eight hours after the moon's transit ; while at Mono- 
mo_y — the southern extremity of Cape Cod — and along our entire coast to the eastward, high 
water occurs at eleven and twelve hours after the moon's transit." 

Prof. Mitchell, in his report made to the Coast Survey Office, in 1857, speaks of" a class of 
agencies whose ceaseless activities are gradually altering the configuration of our harbors and 
sea-coasts— here cutting away headlands, there stretching out hooks, destroying at one point, 
and building at another." In Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds, he says, " We are 
presented with tidal phenomena similar to that existing in Hell Gate, though on a very much 
larger scale." The shoals of the sounds are mostly composed of loose, quartzose sand ; and the 
approach to them in many cases is so abrupt that vessels run upon them before the leadsman 
has detected the shoaling of the water." 

That great physical changes are in progress along the shores of Martha's Vineyard is clearly 
shown by data derived from the records of the Coast Survey, covering a period of less 
than one-third of a century. The cliffs at Nashaquitsa, in Chilmark, on the south shore of the 
Vineyard, are one hundred and fifty feet in height ; and yet, in the nine years preceding 1853, 
the ceaseless action of the sea had wasted away fifty feet of the bluffs. Rocks that were three 
rods from the edge of the cliff had tumbled below the bank. This encroachment upon the land 
has been noted by Prof. Henry L. Whiting, of the Coast Survey, on both sides of these cliffs. 
As to the action of the waves upon the south beach, near Katama, at a point to be reached by 
the extension of the Vineyard railroad, where "a bank or mole of sand, 18,500 feet in length, 
450 feet wide, and 14 feet high, containing 16,500,000 cubic feet, has been beaten in upon the 
bay and shore by the steadily encroaching action of the ocean waves, in a period of twenty-five 
years, a distance of 450 feet," Prof. Whiting says, "it is but a fair illustration of the gradual but 
unceasing ivaste which is going on upon such shores." At this ratio of change how many 
thousands of acres must have been swallowed up since the day when Gosnold first discovered 
Martha's Vineyard ! 

Sea-bathing, by some regarded as a pastime merely, is declared by Dr. John C. Drajicr to be 

(.4) 



" of great benefit in glandular and lymphatic diseases, in certain diseases of the skin, and in 
nervous affections. The action of the water is, however, inseparably connected with that of the 
air, for sea-water baths, taken in a tub, at a distance from the shore, are useless. Next to 
mineral baths, sea-baths are of the greatest value ; indeed we may regard sea-water as a kind of 
mineral water, containing chiefly chlorides and sulphates of soda and lime, with a minute 
quantity of bromine and iodine." 

The comfort of the bather, and consequently the benefit to be derived from bathing, depend 
largely upon the temperature of the water. The experience of thousands who have bathed in 
the waters of Martha's Vineyard has shown that, in this respect, nothing more remains to be 
desired. The waters of the Vineyard Sound are very much warmer than the waters of Massa- 
chusetts Bay. Observations made by Prof Mitchell, in the month of August, 1866, show a tem- 
perature of the water on the north side of Cape Cod, varying from 47° to 63° and on the south 
side from 72° to 79° ; the mean difference being nineteen degrees. The difference of mean day 
temperature was 20°, and of mean night temperature 4°. The stations at which the observations 
were made were but six miles apart. 

(is) 



->^k 




ROUTES OF TRAVEL. 




the passenger reaches the Vineyard about 



The accessibility of Martha's Vineyard is an- 
nually testified to by the increase of travel from 
the Middle and Western States. Having arrived 
at New York, the tourist will have six lines 
to the Vineyard to choose from : (i.) The Bos- 
ton & Albany, connecting at South Framing- 
ham with the New Bedford Railroad. (2.) The 
Shore Line to Providence and Boston, connect- 
ing at Mansfield with the New Bedford Rail- 
road. (3 ) The Old Colony Line of Steamboats, 
connecting at Fall River with fast trains for 
Woods Hole. (4.) The Stonington Line of 
Steamers, connecting at Mansfield with the New 
Bedford Railroad. (5.) The New Bedford Steam- 
ers, connecting with Vineyard boat at New Bed- 
ford. (6.) The Portland Line of Steamers, stop- 
ping at the Vineyard every Tuesday and Friday. 
By either line, leaving New York at night, 
ne o'clock the following morning. 

(.6) 



From Northern New England the two routes of travel are by morning express trains, running 
from the White Mountains direct to New Bedford, or by transfer in the Old Colony carriages 
across Boston, to the Old Colony station, and then to steamer at Woods Hole. 

With Boston as a starting-point, there are two routes : The New Bedford Line, leaving 
the Providence station, on Columbus avenue, and the Old Colony Line, from the Old Colony 
station, at the corner of South and Kneeland streets. There is no material difference in the 
running time of the two lines ; but by the New Bedford Line there are twenty-five miles of 
steamboat ride, and by the Old Colony only seven. The steamboat ride from New Bedford is 
exceedingly pleasant, in fine weather, and a cheerful relief from the heat and dust of the cars. 
From W^oods Hole, the terminus of the Old Colony road, the ride of seven miles is also attrac- 
tive ; and to people susceptible to sea-sickness it is, perhaps, the favorite. Both have their 
attractions, however ; and perhaps the most satisfactory way of going to and fro is to try both, 
exchanging tickets with some one at the Vineyard. The running time from Boston is about 
three hours and a half. 



THE NEW BEDFORD LINE. 

By this line, leaving the Providence station on Columbus avenue, the ride embraces a 
transit of the Providence Railroad to Mansfield ; and thence to New Bedford over the New 
Bedford Railroad, stopping on the way at Taunton, at Weir Junction, crossing the Newport 
divisions of tlie Old Colony Railroad, and at Myrick's, crossing another division of the railroad. 
The trains are run directly to the steamboats. The transfer of passengers and baggage is effected 
with despatch, and, in a very few moments, the departure is made for the Vineyard. 

The sail down the Acushnet River is .one of the pleasantest features of this route. As the 
steamer swings out into the stream, the city rises behind with gentle ascent from the shore, 
combining with its luxuriant growth of shade-trees, whose branches tower high above the 

(■7; 



house-tops, and with its water-front, in the busy season, a panorama of moving vessels and 
commercial activity, to form a scene equally varied and picturesque. Although Kew Bed- 
ford has lost its old-time prestige as a seaport, it still retains many of its ancient ships and 
much of the paraphernalia appertaining to the whale-fishery ; all of which have become of con- 
siderable importance within the past year, consequent upon the diminution of whale and sperm 
oil in the market, and the stimulus the demand has given to the pursuit. The large warehouses, 
standing like grim sentinels along the water-front, in their sombreness are suggestions of what 
the city once was, rather than indicative of the presence of modern prosperity. 

Through the railroad and terminal facilities that have recently accrued to the city by a 
change in the management of the old branch road, various new enterprises have been devel- 
oped that have added very materially to its business interests. Manufacturing is receiving con- 
siderable attention. Of the dozen or so corporations already established, the Wamsutta Mills 
is the oldest, and perhaps the most widely known. Next to that comes the Morse Twist Drill 
Works, whose manufactures are in demand in every part of the world. Viewed from the 
steamer, the huge mills of the Wamsutta Corporation, and the Copper Works adjacent to it, are 
seen some distance up the river. A little way below are the Iron and Flour Mills ; while still 
further down the river, and below the steamboat landing, are the Glass Works, and the Potomska 
Cotton Mills. The huge pockets of the New Bedford Coal Company are also in close prox- 
imity to the landing. From this point many thousand tons of coal are annually shipped to the 
interior manufacturing towns of New England ; and frequently more than a dozen vessels are 
at the company's pier awaiting a discharge of cargo. 

The pier next north of the one from which the Vineyard steamers depart belongs to the New 
York line of steamers, — a daily line connecting with the Vineyard boats.. Among the prominent 
buildings seen from the river are the new High School in the northwest part of the city, the 
Stone church occupied by the Catholics, just below it ; while the spires of the Pleasant-street 
Methodist, the stone turret-shaped tower of the Unitarian church, on Union street, and the 
Fifth-street Grammar School, still further to the south, are also plainly discerned. 

(i8) 



In proportion to its population New Bedford is one of the richest, as it is one of the most 
beautiful cities in the country. The people generally are intelligent, and cultivated to a degree 
seldom attained by American cities. There is also considerable patronage of art. Among the 
artists in this vicinity, who have achieved more than a local reputation, are Bierstadt and 
Bradford, the latter still making Fairhaven his home. According to the last census the popula- 
tion of the city is about 25,000. The Parker House is the principal hotel. 

Turning to the opposite or eastern shore of the river, the village of Fairhaven discloses itself. 
The scene is made up of several partially decayed piers, a number of dilapidated store-houses, 
and a few dreary-looking dwellings along the water-side, all partaking of the universal air of 
declining prosperity. Fortunately the view from the steamer is in no particular indicative of the 
real character of the town. Up among the trees, whose tops are so easily discerned, are many 
fine old mansions, inhabited by people of broad culture and generous hospitality ; while in the 
neighborhood of the large brick church, bereft by a merciless southeaster of its steeple, are rows 
of ancient elms that are worth a visit to behold. At one time Fairhaven enjoyed a great degree 
of prosperity, and shared with New Bedford and Nantucket in a vigorous prosecution of the 
whale-fishery. A horse railroad over the long bridge, at the upper end of the harbor, furnishes 
the readiest means of communication with the city. The population is about 2,500. 

A few moments after leaving the pier the steamer is opposite Fort Phcenix, between which 
and Palmer's Island is the ship channel. This fort is the central figure of all the stirring events 
enacted in the vicinity during the Revolution ; and amidst the present revival of historic 
reminiscences it has become of especial interest. 

Beyond Fort Phoenix the shore curves in toward the east, and thence rends to the south in a 
long strip of land called Sconticut Neck, terminating in Black Rock, which the steamer passes 
on the port or left-hand side. 

Viewing again the New Bedford shore, there will be observed Clark's Point, which, beginning 
opposite Palmer's Island, juts out into the bay. Along its shores there is a drive of four miles, 
unquestionably the finest in New England. The point is dotted with summer residences ; and 

(.9) 



among them, standing back some distance from the drive, is the large stone building which a 
generous municipality jDrovides for the entertainment of its poor. At the outermost end of the 
point is the stone fort that commands the water approaches to the city. It was begun during 
the war, and is built upon the same general plan pursued in the construction of Fort Sumter 
at Charleston harbor. It remains unfinished, awaiting the stimulus of another war for its 
completion. The keeper of the light upon its parapet constitutes the garrison. 

Having passed this fort, the steamer has entered Buzzard's Bay, a body of water as beautiful 
as it is inappropriately named, — a perversion of fitness that is attributable only to the universal 
lack of sentiment in the early colonists. At the extreme western shore, Nonquit, — a pleasant 
little summer resort, patronized principally by New Bedford people,— Round Hills, and Dumpling 
Light, only a short distance to the south, are objective points of interest. Straight ahead are 
the Elizabeth Islands, apparently hanging like so many clouds on the surface of the water. 
Their names, beginning with the most easterly, are Nonamesset, Uncatena, Weepecket, 
Naushon, Pasque, Nashawena, Gull Island, Penikese and Cuttyhunk. 

The small island, a short distance to the north of Cuttyhunk, is Penikese, the scene of 
Agassiz's last labors in connection with his school of natural history. ' Owing, among other 
things, to its inaccessibility, the school has recently been discontinued. 

The view to the east comprises a wide sweep over the waters of the bay, and discloses the 
town of Mattapoisett, with Great Hill looming up in the extreme northeast ; while to the right 
of this, and continuing along the shore nearly to Woods Hole, are West Falmouth and 
Quissett Harbor. 

The passage of the narrow channel, whose course is one of intricate windings, and through 
which the water rushes with great velocity, is the next event of interest. The sail through 
requires but a few moments ; and soon the steamer emerges into the deep waters of Vineyard 
Sound. At this point the ferriage of the Old Colony line begins; and further particulars of the 
journey to the Vineyard will be included in the description of that route. 

(20) 



THE OLD COLONY LINE. 

Leaving the station of the Old Colony Railroad, at the junction of South and Kneeland 
streets, the tourist is rapidly whirled away toward his destination, traversing a portion of the 
Commonwealth abounding in reminiscences of colonial and revolutionary times. 

At Ouincy there can be seen upon the right of the road, just before reaching the station, the 
mansion occupied by the present generation of the Adams family; while, still further down 
the road, and at the Ouincy Adams station, which is upon the left hand, are the old houses, the 
homes of the Adams family. Here John Adams evolved his ideas of American Independence, 
and, disseminating broadcast his famous utterances, stimulated the indignant colonists to sturdy 
resistance against the severe measures of the mother country. Here, too, John Quincy Adams 
imbibed the air of freedom, with which the political atmosphere was surcharged, and learned to 
think and act with an originality that subsequently made him both President and a man famous 
in his country's history. Here, also, Abigail, the wife of John Adams, developed the wonderful 
resources of her nature, and varied a life of domestic duties, in a country repeatedly alarmed by 
the incursions of British marauders, by writing letters that are models of gracefulness of 
expression, besides being the embodiment of the highest type of matronly dignity and 
refinement. 

Quincy is also famous for its granite quarries, from which has come material for many of the 
finest public buildings in the country. 

Passing Quincy, the road extends across Plymouth County, through flourishing towns and 
villages, — first appearing at the sea-shore at Cohasset Narrows, at the head of Buzzard's Bay, 
and thence following the shore, through numerous summer resorts, and the various stations 
in the town of Falmouth, from the last of which stage communication is made with Falmouth 

(21) 



Heights, the remainder of the distance running parallel with Vineyard Sound, across whose 
blue waters are distinctly seen the hills of the Vineyard, — Woods Hole is soon reached, and the 
train stops directly beside the steamer awaiting to convey passengers and luggage to the 
Vineyard. 

The village of Woods Hole is in a picturesque position, commanding, in several directions, 
superb views of Vineyard Sound, and of the lands adjacent to it. ()f late years it has become 
familiar to Boston people, several of whom resort to it for the summer months. The finest 
residences in the village belong to this class of its population. Boarding-houses abound, and 
most of them have an excellent reputation. 

Hon. Joseph Story Fay, a gentleman of wealth and literary culture, and a graceful writer, 
who for several years has had his home here, has recently published a monograph, '' The Track 
of the Norseman," in which he claims that the name should be written Wood's Holl, being 
derived from the Norsemen, who, nearly nine hundred years ago, visited this portion of the 
coast. 

As the steamer leaves the pier, the prominent objects that attract attention are the large 
buildings of the Guano Factory, upon the right of the harbor; the large railroad station of the 
Old Colony Railroad, and the summer-houses, perched upon the cliff, upon the left of the 
harbor ; wliile, directly opposite the starting-point, may be seen, on Naushon Island, the 
red-tiled roofs of the summer residences of Hon. John M. Forbes and son, of Boston. During 
President Grant's trip to the Vineyard, in the season of 1874, he passed a day on this island, 
the guest of Mr, Forbes ; and among the incidents of the visit was a horseback ride, when the 
President manifested his equestrian ability in a manner that created great amazement on the 
part of all present. 

Having entered Vineyard Sound, the view, in either direction, is one of nautical beauty 
beyond all comparison. As it has been aptly described, it is a picture which comprises in its 
delineation all that the most exacting taste could demand. For the background there are the 
high hills of the Vineyard, sloping gently to the shore, and trending away to the west, where 

C22) 



they culminate in the many-hued difFs of Gay Head. The perspective is made up of an ever- 
varying scene of nautical animation glorious to contemplate ; while the vista discloses a vast 
expanse of blue water that fairly rivals the azure of the heavens. Under favorable circumstances 
the Sound is studded with the white sails of every species of craft engaged in the carrying-trade 
of our country. In but one other place in the world, — the English Channel, — are there seen so 
many vessels at a time. 

Supposing the steamer's prow to have been turned toward the sandy bluffs of the Vineyard, 
upon the port, or left-hand side, appears the ancient town of Falmouth, peacefully resting upon 
a plain, whose shores are bathed by the waters of the Sound ; while to the east are the towers 
and cottage-roofs of Falmouth Heights ; and a few miles further east is Menauhant (pronounced 
Menant) an incipient watering-place, whose existence dates back only two seasons. Beyond 
this point Cape Cod stretches away in the dim distance, its " heel " faintly outlined against the 
horizon. 

Presently the harbor of Vineyard Haven is reached ; and through a forest of masts of the 
vessels at anchor, the village itself can be seen, nestling under a hill at the further extremity of 
the harbor. Upon either shore are various summer cottages, indicating the proximity of the 
" Cottage City." A moment later the steamer rounds the cliffs of the Highlands, and the 
Summer city of Martha's Vineyard comes into view, with its hundreds of cottages, its groves 
and lake, bunting flying in every direction, the welcoming strains of music from the hotel-bands 
wafted across the water, — all combining to impress the stranger with the idea of " fairy-land," 
which, though ambiguous and conventional, is, upon the whole, the best expression for the 
scene. 

The first landing which the steamer makes is at the Highland Pier, from whence there is an 
easy communication with the Camp-Ground portion of the city by the horse-railroad. The 
road skirts the margin of Lake Anthony, giving a good view of the Highlands and of the Canip- 
Ground, and depositing both passengers and luggage in the very midst of the latter. 

Less than a half niilc further, and the steamer reaches the Oak Bluffs Landing, where the first 

(25) 




BLUFFS LANDING, 



intimation appears of the gay side of Vineyard 
life. Crowds fill the pier; and the extensive 
piazzas of the Sea View House present an imposing 
array of beauty and fashion. The band, mean- 
while, plays its most inspiring airs ; and, amidst the 
confusion of steamboat whistles, the tramping of 
horses, the bewildering importunities of hotel 
porters and runners, the novice in Vineyard ways 
and customs runs the gauntlet from steamboat to 
pier with ideas of personal identity somewhat 
confused. It is to be hoped, however, that the 
directions, embodied under " The Hotels," are 
sufficiently explicit to relieve the tourist from all 
obligations to hotel "representatives," so that 
there will be no occasion for annoyance on this 
score. 



(24) 



(^■^^g^ 



%< 



CAMP-MEETINGS 

Date back to an early period in tlie history of this country. They are peculiarly an American 
institution, a child of Western necessity. In 1799, in the State of Kentucky, two brothers 
by the name of McGee, one a Presbyterian, the other a Methodist, during a great revival held 
meetings together, — out-door meetings, as no building could contain the multitudes 'sub- 
sequently, both denominations held them and profited by them. At the first the meetin-s were 
largely sensational ; and much, doubtless, transpired which would be regarded as objectionable 
by wise, discreet, and pious Christians. Still, the people came in throngs ; and the word of truth 
was heard by many who seldom heard it elsewhere. The seed sown sprang up, and brou-ht 
forth abundantly. Great was the harvest of souls, and many were the earnest laborers who re- 
joiced in such opportunities to reach the people. The blessing of God was evidently upon the 
institution, and it spread into all parts of the country, modified somewhat by the character of 
the people who bore a part in its services, but yet everywhere a recognized power for 
good. 

That the camp-meeting, as now conducted, diflfers from the camp-meeting of former times, 
in many respects, is a fact which will not be disputed. And so does the preaching of to-day 
differ from that which our fathers heard. It is less emotional, less doctrinal, than formerly. 
But is it less or more effective in moulding the life and character of men ? With increased in- 
telligence and culture in the hearer, comes tlie demand for greater intellectual ability in the 



pulpit. To minister acceptably to an intelligent audience, there must not only be grace in the 
heart, manifesting itself in the daily life of the preacher, a tender sympathy for the wayward and 
erring, with an earnest single-hearted devotion to the high object of his mission, — the rescue 
and up-raising of fallen humanity, — but there must be the intellectual ability and the mental 
culture and training, to expose error in its multitudinous forms and to present the truths of the 
gospel clearly and powerfully, so as to convince the understanding and win the heart of the 
hearer. 



MARTHA'S VINEYARD CAMP-MEETING. 

The first camp-meeting on the present campground was held in the month of August, 1835. 
The number in attendance was not large. There were nine tents only, somewhat rudely con- 
structed. Some of them were formed by drawing a ship's topsail over a rough frame ; but they 
answered the demand of the occasion, — a week's residence in the woods, — so long as the 
weather was dry. They were commodious, too, furnishing sufficient room for a large company, 
a shelter and chapel by day, and a sleeping-place at night. This first meeting was one of great 
interest and abundant success. 

With the exception of one year — 1S45 — camp-meetings have ever since been annually 
held in this Wesleyan Grove, so dear to thousands as the hallowed spot where holy influences 
have abounded, and where God has wonderfully revealed himself unto his people. 

From year to year the numbers in attendance gradually increased, the ground being occupied 
only during the week the meeting was held. The occupation being temporary, the comforts of 
home were not expected. Straw was provided in large quantities, and thickly strown about the 
tents. On this, with a coverlet, or blanket or two, the occupants took their nightly rest. A 
curtain, stretched at night across the tent, formed it into separate apartments for the men and 
women. The hour of retiring was announced by the blast of a trumpet or conch-shell ; a watch 

(26) 



was set ; and ihen, after " family worsliip," the dwellers in the woods sought repose on their beds 
of straw. 

Next came the introduction of small-sized family tents, intended to provide for greater com- 
fort and convenience than could be had in the society tents, still fully occupied. 

In 1857, counting tents of all kinds, the number reached two hundred and fifty; and, in the 
year following, three himdred and twenty. 

When the tent gave way to the cottage, another new phase of life in the forest commenced, 
and the comforts and attractions of the grounds were largely increased. 

The first cottage having any pretensions to beauty and comfort, was erected in the year 1859 
by Perez Mason, of Providence, on Trinity Park, so called from three large oak trees growing 
from one stump. It was a little gem of beauty, attracting great attention and much comment ; 
and, despite the fact that there are many larger and more costly ones now erected, this cottao-e 
— now owned by Mrs. William B. Lawton, of Warren, R. I. — still challenges admiration. 

With the building of cottages began a new order of things. Furnished with the comforts 
and privacy of a home, the occupants came to remain, not one week but many. Gradually "the 
season " began to lengthen, many seeking their cottage homes on the Vineyard during the 
month of June or the latter days of May. 

The change which has taken place in the Vineyard Camp-Meeting has occasioned much 
speculation as to the results which will follow. Very difterent views are taken, and widely dif- 
ferent opinions are freely expressed. These views and opinions, however, are often much mod- 
ified by a more intimate knowledge. It is seen that here, as elsewhere, all do not show the 
same single-hearted purpose of devoting themselves to religious work. Some of the dwellers 
on the ground evidently look upon the gatherings as a kind of religious picnic, and seek only 
relaxation and novelty, while thousands of transient visitors are drawn chiefly, if not wholly, by 
curiosity ; yet even the casual observer must be convinced that there are present large numbers 
of truly devout and pious persons, who seek spiritual refreshment for themselves, and labor, 
earnestly and faithfully, according to the measure of their grace and their gifts, to induce others 

(27) 



to seek for consolation, 
peace, and pardon by the 
one only way. Those who 
have known only the old- 
fashioned camp-meeting 
sometimes come filled with 
prejudices against the new 
form of grove-meeting, 
commingling, as it does, 
innocent, healthful recre- 
ation, social converse, and 
religious worship in charm- 
ing proportion, — a place 
of bodily as well as spiritual 
refreshment. Yet these 
persons, if blessed with 
candor and minds well 
trained, open to the recep- 
tion of new truths and new 
impressions, and not wed- 
ded indissolubly to the past, 
will soon find their preju- 
dices fading away, and recognize the fact that healthful moral influences do abound, and a spirit 
of cheerful godliness; that Martha's Vineyard, in becoming a summer resort, "« pleasant, 
healthful, Christian watering-place," has not "wholly fallen from grace," but is now, and 
promises long to be, a blessing to the church and to the land. 

George Francis Train says, "The world is not all bad. Society may be organized 

(28) 




OUT-DOOR LIFE AT THE VINEYARD. 



hypocrisy, but not at the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting. . . . Tliis is the first camp-meetin"-, 
on a grand scale, I ever witnessed. 'Tis a gigantic picnic. A grand fete-cold-water. A mon- 
ster tented tea-party. I had seen the hanging gardens of a Chinese prince, at Foo-Chow-Foo • 
but it was nothing like the Mariha's Vineyard Camp-Mccting. 

"I saw the City of Canvas at Melbourne, Australia, in 1S53, on the banks of the Yarra- 
Yarra; but it was nothing like tlie Martha's Vineyard Canip-Afeeiing. 

" I have been astonished to see some thousands of pilgrims bound to Mecca, in Arabia in 
their quaint tenements ; but it was nothing like the JMarthds Vineyard Camp-Mcetino-. 

" I was in the French camp, the Russian camp, the Turkish camp, the Sardinian camp, near 
the Redan, the Malakoff, and at Kammish and Balaklava ; but it did not so much surprise me as 
this Martha'' s Vineyard Camp-Meeting. 

" I have gazed in startled amazement at the Bedouins in Asia Minor, at the Ladrone pirates 
in the Bocca Tigris, in China, at tlie Sepoy encampment in India, at the Turkish village of tents 
of Said Pacha, and the emigrants' corral at Omaha, in Nebraska ; but none of these come uo to 
the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting.'''' 

(2O 



^■^a^^Pl 




OAK BLUFFS 



As the stranger traverses the avenues of Oak Bluffs, inspecting the rare combination of art 
and nature so happily blended in the beauties of this portion of our Summer City, — as he dwells 
upon the unique cottage-homes, their apparent " openness " and hospitality, embowered among 
the oaks and a wondrous profusion of flowers and shrubbery, or mingles with the many 
promenaders congregated about the Sea View and the promenade along the high bluff by the 
water's side, he will find it difficult to conceive that this gay scene could ever have been one of 
unmitigated dullness, — a weary waste of sand and barren plain. And yet once it was all of this ; 
and that, too, no farther back than 1867. Up to that time thousands upon thousands of people 
came flocking to the island, attracted by the tales of wondrous things, and of experiences rare 
in the annals of modern watering places ; for, even at that early period. Vineyard Grove, besides 
its attractions of a spiritual nature, had charms of a worldly nature beyond comparison. The 
accommodations in the grove were unequal to the demand, although they were augmented with 
each succeeding year ; and it was conceded that something more must be done. In the year 
1868, the Oak Bluffs Land & Wharf Co. was formed, consisting of several gentlemen well 
known in Boston, and a number of prominent residents of Edgartown. Immediately a sys- 
tematic and comprehensive plan of improvements was inaugurated. Avenues were laid out ; 
plank and asphalt walks, a pier, and several hotels were built. The lots being put upon the 

(30) 




a stroll 
in this 



about its streets at ni 
country. 



market were sold rapidly ; cottage-building be- 
came the great business of the island ; and, 
in the space of eight years, the change from 
the old to the new exceeded the transforma- 
tion scenes of the modern drama. At present 
there are nine hotels, a chapel, a dozen stores and 
shops, numbers of public and private stables, miles 
of avenues, most of them asphalted, — one of them, 
Circuit Avenue, paved, — scores of cottages, a plank 
walk, 15 feet in width, extending from the Sea 
View in a southerly direction for half a mile, also a 
boulevard, 40 feet wide, built of asphalt, and paral- 
lel to it, and running the same distance as the 
plank walk, hundreds of bath-houses, pagodas, and 
minor attractions innumerable. To the stranger, this 
district of the city will^ afford great interest. It is 
usually best seen in the afternoon and evening; and 
ht discloses a scene of l)eauty unsurpassed at any watering-place 



VINEYARD HIGHLANDS. 

The Vineyard Gi'ove Company was incorporated in 1870, and owns some two hundred 
acres of land adjoining to, and lying northerly of, the Camp-Ground and of Oak Bluffs, known as 
the " Highlands," being the highest land on the East Chop, from which charming views can be 
had of the Sound, the arriving and departing steamers, Lake Anthony, and the whole Cottage 
City. 

(31) 



The company have erected a commodious wharf, a large hotel known as the Highland 
House, have constructed a plank walk from the wharf to the post-office, and one northerly from 
the wharf along the edge of the high bluffs skirting on the Sound ; and have built a horse- 
railroad, extending from their wharf to the Camp-Ground, and running so as to connect with all 
the boats arriving at or leaving the wharf, making more than fifty round trips daily. 
The lands have been laid out in lots, parks, and avenues, with a circle reserved for 
camp-meeting purposes, now occupied by the Baptists, who will make this their head- 
quarters for the season. Already about one hundred cottages have been erected, owned by 
gentlemen from widely distant localities, many of whom are well known as men of sterling worth. 

In August, 1875, forty years from the time when camp-meetings were established on 
Martha's Vineyard by the Methodists, some members of another large religious denomination 
who had frequently visited camp-meetings, and participated in the religious services, recognizing 
the benefit to be derived from such gatherings, consulted with their pastor and other clergymen, 
and, after mature and careful deliberation, determined to hold a 



BAPTIST OPEN-AIR MEETING. 

The place selected for this purpose was Martha's Vineyard, in a fine oak grove on the lands 
of the Vineyard Grove Company, who made liberal arrangements for their comfortable accom- 
modation and continued occupancy. 

The meeting was held according to announcement, — a novel thing in the denomination, 
but a most decided success. The numbers in attendance exceeded expectations. The sermons 
generally were from some of the ablest ministers from various parts of the country, and all the 
religious services were interesting and profitable. The plan of having similar meetings every 
year, in the same place, was fully determined upon ; a temporary organization was effected, and, 
on the 1st of January, 1876, 



"THE BAPTIST VINEYARD 

was incorporated, under the general laws of Massachusetts. The object of this association is 
purely religious ; and it proposes to hold a week of open-air meetings each year, at Martha's 
Vineyard, and to encourage the establishment of permanent religious worship, during the entire 
summer, at this seaside resort. 

The grove, where the meetings will be held, is one hundred rods from the Highland wharf, 
where the steamers first land, and a like distance from the post-office, and one hundred thirty- 
three rods from the Tabernacle on the Methodist Camp-Ground, near enough for the songs of 
praise sung in one encampment to be heard in the other, on a calm, still evening. 

The headquarters of the association, during the season, will be at the Wyoming House, on 
the plank walk, about nine hundred feet from the circle devoted to religious services, and on 
the direct route from the wharf to the post-office. Here can be had particular information with 
regard to all matters connected with the association, or the meetings held under their direction. 

The association have already announced to the denomination generally, by circulars widely 
distributed, that their Second Annual Religious Gathering, at Martha's Vineyard, will com- 
mence August 1 2th, and end with Sunday, August 20th, 1876. Their circular says: "The 
design of these meetings is to promote fraternal love and a more intimate acquaint- 
anceship among the members of our denomination ; to discuss plans and methods of Christian 
work; to cultivate a deeper spiritual tone and greater earnestness; to inspire fresh zeal; and, 
in all proper ways, to help each other by counsel and suggestion, that, from a week of healthful 
recreation, we may each return to his own field better fitted for the work assigned him in the 
Master's vineyard. To any who know aught of the attractions of Martha's Vineyard as a 
summer residence, no other words are necessary. To others we would say that, for invigorating 
sea-breezes, healthful climate, pleasant surroundings, and delightful residences, no place in 
America is superior. We have a large plot tastefully laid out, with all desirable advantages, 

(33) 



and already more than a hundred cottages, many of which are the summer homes of prominent 
Baptists, and others are being erected. We shall have abundant hotel and other accommoda- 
tions, partiiculars of which will be announced at an early day. 

" In order so to concentrate our forces as to derive the greatest profit, it is proposed, so far 
as practicable, to devote each day to some special topic. Some of the most eminent men in the 
denomination have already signified their acceptance of invitations to be present and participate 
in the exercises, and arrangements are being made for many more. Ample time will be allowed 
for rest and recreation. Within a radius of one mile are more than one thousand cottages, 
giving wonderful variety of beauty, and costing respectively from $500 to $15,000 — fully 
justifying the title. 



" There are eight fine hotels, a large number of boarding-houses, and unsurpassed facilities 
for sea-bathing, boating, fishing, driving, etc. An outline programme of the meetings will be 
issued at an early date ; and particulars may be learned on application to William F. Sherwin, 
Newark, N. J., or John E. Simonds, 50 Bromfield Street, Boston. 

"We invite all Baptists and their friends, who are planning a week or more of rest and 
enjoyment, to make this their objective point; and let us repeat the delightful reunions of last 
season's impromptu gathering on a broader scale." 

(34) 



HOTELS. 



Life at Martha's Vineyard has two distinct features, both of them attractive, and either 
calculated to ensure the pleasure and comfort of the average tourist. Cottage-life is best suited 
to families, since it embodies economy, — a prime element in modern summer calculations, — and 
insures the privacy of home-life. In the matter of economy it is by far to be preferred to hotels, 
by all classes, since thecharges are much less than at any of the latter, and the quiet and rest 
secured more than compensate for the loss of service and attendance. For cottage rooms the 
highest prices are usually paid in August, when, in cottages where a business is made of letting 
rooms through the season, the price is two dollars per (Jay ; but this expense can be very mate- 
rially diminished by seeking accommodations among those who hire cottages tor a few weeks, 
or for the season, and depend upon the rent of rooms as a revenue for the jDartial payment of 
the whole rent. In this case, the price would not be over a dollar. 

In the Grove many cottagers rent their rooms for a dollar, which, with the cost of table-board 
at any one of the numerous boarding-hotels, not exceeding $1.50, makes the total cost per day 
only $2.50. Another advantage of cottage-life is the opportunity offered for becoming acquainted 
among the cottagers, who are the life and society of the city, and the increased enjoyment 
thereby secured. Entire cottages maybe rented for from $150 to $500 for the season. As to 
the hotels, in selecting one for his accommodation, the tourist will be guided very much by his 

(35) 



preferences for all the conveniences of a thoroughly appointed hotel, or for more humble quar- 
ters, including the guaranty of a good table. The Sea View is the leading hotel of the city. 
It is three hundred feet in length, delightfully situated at the very beach, surrounded by 
spacious piazzas, comprising in their prospect extensive views of Vineyard Sound and the 
surrounding country. 

Its interior arrangements are like the best of the modern-built houses, including large 
private and public rooms, spacious dining-halls, elevator, gas, and billiard-room. It accommo- 
dates about three hundred guests. The charges during July are $i.oo per day and upward for 
rooms, and, in August, a slight advance beyond that. The house is kept on the European 
plan, though with regular boarders special arrangements are made. 

The Highland House bears relatively the same position to the Highland portion of the 
city that the Sea View does to the Bluffs. It has an excellent situation at the water's edge, in 
close proximity to the Highland landing ; and from its piazzas fine views are obtained of the 
Sound, and especially of the city. It has accommodations for nearly two hundred guests. The 
rooms are unplastered. The table has had a fair reputation in years past. The charges are in 
the neighborhood of $3.00 per day. 

The Central House is on the Camp-Ground, just outside the boundaries of Oak Bluffs, and 
is very centrally located, being only a few minutes' walk from the most distant point of the city. 
It has accommodations for about one hundred and fifty guests. The rooms are unplastered, 
though comfortably furnished, and lighted with gas. The charges for rooms are $1.00 and 
upward. The house is kept on the European plan. Its table has no superior among the other 
hotels of the island. 

The Pawnee House is on Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs. It accommodates two hundred 
guests, and has had a deservedly high reputation in years past. Its location is among the shops 
and stores, in the busiest portion of the city, and yet but a few minutes' walk from the beach. It 
is kept on the European plan, and the price of rooms is $1.00 and upward. The Baxter House, 
just opposite, accommodating seventy-five guests, and the Island House, with accommodations 

(36) 



for two hundred guests, on the same side, a short distance below, are both kept on the Euro- 
pean plan, their charges being $i.oo and upward for" rooms. 

The Grover House, on Narragansett Avenue, Oak Bluffs, is a favorite hotel, and enjoys a 
high reputation. It accommodates one hundred guests, is kept on the European plan, and 
maintains the same rates as the other hotels named. The Prospect House, at Lagoon Heights, 
is a popular hotel, containing thirty rooms. It is situated about a mile from the city, and com- 
mands a fine prospect of Vineyard Haven. 

Besides those enumerated above, there are the Vineyard Grove, Howard, and National 
hotels, — the first two situated on the Camp-Ground, and the latter on Circuit Avenue. The 
Vineyard Grove House accommodates large numbers of cottagers at table. It furnishes meals 
for $i.oo per day. 

Of the hotels mentioned here, with the exception of the Vineyard Grove, Highland, How- 
ard, and National, all are lighted with 'gas. The Sea View and Island House have plastered 
rooms ; and all but the Highland, Howard, Vineyard Grove, and National are kept on the 
European plan. If, from the foregoing, the tourist is enabled to select a hotel before arriving at 
the Vineyard, he would do well to take his checks for luggage to the hotel, and send for it from 
there, in this manner saving great annoyance. 

(37) 



^"'^^2^^^^ 

^w^ 



SAUNTERINGS. 




CLINTON AVENUE. 



Having settled the matter of accommodations 
satisfactorily, the tourist will naturally seek amuse- 
ment and diversion, and from personal experience 
verify or disprove the statements concerning 
Martha's Vineyard, and more especially the 
Summer City, that have been so often affirmed and 
reiterated ; and as a partial guide to his explorations, 
the following suggestions are made, as to the 
manner in which this maybe done most satisfactorily, 
and with as little loss of time as may be. 

Starting with the premise that the Cottage City 
affords unlimited opportunities for losing one's way, 
— and it has no equal in this one particular among 
the larger cities of this country, — it is advisable 
that a stranger acc^uaint himself with the prominent 
localities, and, having once fixed them in his mind, 
guide his footsteps accordingly. Suppose the 

(38) 



Tabernacle in the Camp-Ground to be the starting-point ; from thence, following the car-tracks, 
turn off. at Clinton Avenue, the most popular of all in the grove, and saunter down as far as 
Oak Park. Probably no other one avenue on the island is so widely and favorably known. 
The cottagers are from New England, with the exception of the occupants of some half- 
dozen of the handsomest cottages located at the head of the avenue, who represent New 
York. The annual illumination of Clinton Avenue has for years been a prominent feature of 
Vineyard life. It usually occurs about the middle of August, and attracts crowds from many 
distant localities. Returning again to the Tabernacle, limited walks in either direction may 
be taken, though care should be used not to progress too far, and become lost amidst the 
bewildering maze of narrow avenues where the cottages are all alike, necessarily creating con- 
fusion as to locality. Trinity Park is within view of the Tabernacle ; Washington Avenue 
is in the rear of the Agent's office ; Fourth-street Avenue is nearly opposite the Agent's 
office, on the eastern side of the Tabernacle ; County Park is on the way from the Central 
House, or Arcade, to the post-office ; Lake Avenue is easily found, as it fronts Lake Anthony ; 
Siloam Avenue is reached by following the horse-car tracks along the margin of the smaller 
lake, the avenue finally terminating at the post-office. These that have been enumerated are 
the chiefest among many ; and from them a fair idea may be obtained of the character of the 
whole. One of the favorite walks is that along the margin of Lake Anthony, over the exten- 
sive plank walk, fifteen feet wide and half a mile long, terminating at the Highland pier. 
From here the promenade may be continued on indefinitely along the high bluff that com- 
mands a grand prospect of the Sound, Vineyard Haven, and the whole city. It is the most 
sightly point in the confines of the city. The sunset views here are unsurpassed. The return 
may be varied by a ride in one of the open horse-cars that skirt the margin of the 
lake. Starting from the post-office, a busy portion of the grove is seen in a stroll 
up Commonwealth Avenue, by the hotels and stores, through County Park to Montgomery 
Square, fronting which is the Central House and other shops and stores. From here, passing 
through the Arcade, it is but a few steps to Circuit Avenue, in the Bluff portion of the city. 

(39) 



Especially in the evening this street is like 
the main street of any thriving city. All the 
hotels and most of the stores are illuminated with 
gas, reflecting the brilliancy of its myriad lights 
out upon the many crowds of promenaders, and 
heightening the effect of a scene as unique as it is 
remarkable. Almost anything that is purchasable 
in any ordinary city can be bought here ; and a 
visit to some of the shell-stores is one of the 

1,;^ , .: ,, - u HBiBp pleasantest ways to' pass an evening. Circuit 

liiSil''''i|'rM Avenue leads to the Bluflfe pier, the Sea View, and 

Jll'il1illil>L-aL!ys&_Sr,.»7ffi^ --- ll^g plank walks along by the beach. 

Here upon every hand abide merriment and gay- 
ety. If it chance to be in the afternoon, when the 
boats are arriving and departing, the band playing, 
and the crowds surging about the cool, spacious 
piazzas of the hotel, or if it be in the evening, when 
a "hop" is in progress, the scene is one of great interest, and not soon forgotten. From the 
Sea View, plank walks extend in either direction. The one at the north is under the bluff, ex- 
tending along the beach several hundred feet. Quiet and retired, it is naturally thought much 
of by the younger portion of the community, suggestive, as a dyspeptic writer has put it, of 
" insipid nothingness and poetical ravings." The one at the south of the house is the great 
promenade of the whole city. Running along the bluff for half a mile, lined with seats, varied 
by an occasional resting-place, — pagoda-shaped structures, in one of which cooling beverages 
are dispensed, — the whole lighted with gas, it affords unlimited opportunities for the exercise 
of that mysterious and ambiguous occupation known as "bluffing." From this walk, most of the 
principal avenues of Oak Bluffs are at right angles ; and, as they are wide and plainly defined 

(40) 




CLINTON AVENUE IN WINTER. 



in reference to one another, there is little danger of losing one's way. Leaving the plank walk, 
the promenade may be taken along Ocean Avenue, which faces the large open space known as 
Ocean Park. Here are situated some of the costliest and handsomest residences on the Bluffs ; 
particularly at the point where the avenue turns to the north there are several especially attract- 
ive. After passing this point, by taking the first turn to the left, Circuit Avenue is once more 
reached. Still another point of interest may be seen by passing up Circuit Avenue to Narragan- 
sett, and thence to the left, — Union Chapel, a sightly structure, unique in design and eminently 
adapted to the requirements of the religious portion of the Bluffs population. The Cottage 
City of America — the ambitious title to which our summer city aspires — contains that which 
cannot be expressed upon paper. There is an indescribable charm, an undefined sense of 
strangeness, apparent at every turn. The whole settlement, including the three districts of 
Grove, Bluffs, and Highlands, form one city, though they are each of them governed by different 
corporations and by different rules ; and as to boundary lines, except in one or two instances, a 
stranger cannot tell where one leaves off and the other begins. 

A RAILROAD RIDE. 

Taking the cars of the narrow-gauge road, close below the Sea View House, the tourist is 
borne rapidly past the plank walk, filled with promenaders, in close proximity to the long lines 
of bath-houses, and skirting the shores of the Sound on the left, and of Sanchacantacket Pond 
on the right, crossing the bridge over the opening where the bluefish abound, and, in about 
fifteen minutes, reaches the depot in Edgartown. Here he can leave the cars, and take a 
pleasant stroll through this charming village, or find his rest in one of the hotels, whose 
accommodating landlords will seek to promote the comfort and convenience of their guests, 
and aid them in finding the very best facilities for fishing excursions. 

The cars remain in the depot only long enough to land and take in passengers, and then 
are off for Katama and the South Shore. 



The first preparations to open Katama as a summer resort were made in 1872. It is 
situated on the borders of a deh'ghtful bay, which affords the best facihties for bathing, boating, 
and fishing. Edgartown village is in full view from Mattakeset Lodge, as the principal hotel is, 
called ; and so are the Sound, the harbor, and the Atlantic, as it washes the line of the South 
Shore, which, seen at this elevation, when the waves come rolling on in full sweep, is one of the 
grandest scenes in nature. 

The hotel is well kept, 

and is abundantly supplied 

with the choicest viands in 

^M- T* 1 ' »- the market ; the rooms are 

W^ A BSa..^ '^rge, airy, and well fur- 

' ! 1^^ iislM nished ; and the visitor 

soon finds himself at home. 
The lands in the vicinity 
are as level as a western 
prairie ; and rides can be 
taken with no fear for 
safety, if the carriage does 
not keep the road. 

Swings, and bowling- 
alleys, croquet grounds, 
and rambles by the shore, 
furnish opportunities for 
diversion. The air is pure and invigorating, and the heat never excessive. A band is stationed 
at the hotel during the summer, and, with its other attractions, combines to make Katama a 
favorite and charming resort. 

(42) 




MATTAKESET LODGE, KATAMA, MARTHA'S VINEYARD. 



Both at the Lodge, and at a small hotel, kept by Wood, lying between the Lodge and the 
ocean, fish-dinners and clam-bakes are daily served. 

Three-quarters of a mile beyond Katama, the road reaches its terminus by the waters of the 
broad Atlantic, as they wash the South Shore of Martha's Vineyard. A short plank walk leads 
down close to the edge df the surf, which sometimes comes dashing with tremendous force 
upon the yielding sands, — the line of breakers extending east and west for miles . 

After a storm, shells and mosses are gathered by the curious visitor, and furnish pleasant 
mementoes of a trip to the seaside. 

DRIVE TO VINEYARD HAVEN. 

The road, which begins at the post-office, crossing the lake, and then continuing over the 
hill to the harbor of Vineyard Haven, affords one of the pleasantest drives on the island. 
Emerging from the grove of oak-trees, there is a fine view of the Sound and harbor, dotted with 
countless sails of vessels, and of the village itself, at the upper end of the harbor. The view 
given of the village on another page is taken from the point where the road turns abruptly to 
the southwest, by the large summer residence built by a former owner of Bellevue Heights, as the 
land upon which it is situated is called. From this point the road passes through Eastville, 
thence follows the beach for the distance of a mile, crossing the narrow channel between Lagoon 
Pond and the harbor, over a drawbridge, within a short distance of Cedar Neck and the beautiful 
cottage of its owner, a view of which is given on the next page The road enters the village 
from the south, passes through it, and thence diverges to various parts of the island. A general 
object of interest to visitors is a diminutive museum and ice-cream room, located on a side 
street. It is kept by a mute ; and the museum is filled with various curiosities, collected by 
him ; also with numerous specimens of ingenious carving, executed by him during the winter 
months. The drive to Vineyard Haven, always pleasant, is best enjoyed at morning or 
evening. 




COTTAGE or C. C. HIKE, ESQ., OF NEW YORK, ON CEDAR NECK. 
(44) 



NANCY LUCE. 

In the upper part of the island there resides a singular creature, whose secluded life and 
remarkable eccentricities have long made her an object of peculiar interest. Nancy Luce has 
passed a humdrum existence, absolutely without any of the little episodes which are usually- 
incident to the lives of eccentric people. So far as the facts are concerned, there is really no 
reason for her strange mode of living and procedure, although certain pretending people have 
labored in vain to evolve from their own inner conciousness a romantic story of jilted love and 
celibate vows. Nancy, as she is familiarly called by both old and young, resides in a small, 
unpretentious house, a story and a half high, somewhat retired from the road. Knocking at 
the door for admittance is usually succeeded by noisy indications of preparation within, followed 
by a clatter of locks and bolts, a sort of overture to the appearance of the apparition, whose 
hatchet-like, insinuating face, emerging from the inevitable head-covering, peers at you from a 
crack of the door. If there is a party, each individual is interrogated as to whether he or she 
will be "real good " if admitted. The assurances being given, the party is ushered into the 
sitting-room. Meanwhile, Nancy has much to say concerning the "misery" in her head, the 
misfortunes of her chickens, and the great difficulty she has in maintaining an existence. 

Without anticipating the pleasures of a visit to this singular dame, by detailing its amusing 
incidents, suffice it to say, that reading the list of deceased hens, inspecting the apartments 
devoted to her dumb companions, — cow and hens, — and, finally, the introduction to the sacred 
precincts of the cemetery, where are buried the dead members of her coop, not forgetting to 
inquire her age, constitute the salient points of an experience as remarkable as is often met 
with. As to her age, no man has ever ascertained that interesting fact from Nancy, though 
inquiry among her island friends shows that it is not far from seventy-five years. Before 
leaving, it is proper to buy several copies of her '• book," which contains "poetry" on the 

(45) 



demise of various members of her family, and a treatise on the care and cure of sick hens. It 
is a dreary waste of nonsense — a mere jingle of words, — and yet amusing from its very silliness. 
The following, taken at random from her work, illustrates Nancy's poetic ability : Tweedle 
Tedel Bebbee Pinky died, whereupon she exclaims, — 

" When poor little Heart- Pinky 
Was about six weeks old, 
She was taken with the chicken distemper. 
Chickens died off all over this island! " 

And there are a dozen verses more containing equal sense, and with the same regard for 
metre. Nancy's is, at best, a pitiable case. Here she lives year in and year out, depending for 
her subsistence upon the sale of her books to summer callers and milk and eggs to the island 
people. She has no one to S3'mpathize with, constantly dependent upon the charity of 
neighbors for whatever of labor is necessary about her house ; and thus she lives a cheerless 
dismal life, her only companions being an inferior cow and a half-dozen wretched hens. 
It is quite impossible to give any directions for reaching her house that would be at all 
intelligible to the average traveller. The roads on this island are too intricate, and too 
circuitous in their courses to be navigated successfully without an experienced pilot. Most of 
the drivers are " to the manor born " ; so that, under their guidance, there is no danger of going 
astray. The distance to Nancy's is about eight miles ; and the better part of a day will be 
consumed by the trip. It is always best to go with a party: the fun is apt to be proportionately 
greater. 

(46) 



PLACES TO VISIT. 



GAY HEAD. 

This far-famed spot will, of course, be sought by those who can command the time to pay 
it a visit. Excursions are frequently made by steamboat ; but sometimes the passengers do not 
land. The best way is to take the land route, hiring a team or joining a party. Starting early 
in the morning, there will be time for rest and for dinner, for an examination of the lighthouse 
and the cliffs, for a stroll along the beach, and a search for specimens of clays and fossils. 
The return can be made late in the afternoon, arriving in the cool of the evening. The distance 
by land is about seventeen miles, and less by water. 

Visitors to Gay Head can obtain a lunch, or a good dinner, at the house of the Lightkeeper ; 
or at the first dwelling-house on Gay Head, on the left-hand side of the highway, going to the 
Light, — Mrs. Rodman's, — by leaving their orders with her, when passing up; stopping to 
dine on their return. 

To the visitor the chief interest of Gay Head is not in its agricultural capabilities, which 
have never yet been developed, but in the rare scenery, the rich and varied colors its lofty cliffs 
present to the admiring gaze of the traveller and the passing voyager, in its singularly mixed 
clays and sands, and in the numerous specimens of fossils and petrifactions found on its banks. 
Here are to be found "all sorts of fossils, from petrified quahaugs, as big as your thumb-nail, to 
the skeletons of monsters that might have swallowed the whale that swallowed Jonah." 

(47) 



Lai-e masses of lignite often occur, showing very clearly the structure of the wood and bark. 
This lignite is not fit to burn ; it is so abundant, however, as to modify the color of much of the 
clay in^its vicinity. There are white, green and yellow sands, and white, gray, blue, blackish 
and red clays, and all the shades made by the varied commingling of these different colors. 

To the' geologist few places have the interest that Gay Head possesses. Here he can find 
abundant m'eans'to gratify his taste, and reward his research. Prof Lyell, after speaking 
of the probable age of the formations at Gay Head, adds, "but for this small island, we should 
have had no evidence of the development of a great series of subterranean movements m this 
part of the American continent." ' Prof. Hitchcock speaks of it in enthusiastic terms, as "a 
most picturesque object of scenery," and says "there is not a more interesting spot in the State 
to a geologist." There is also enough of interest about Gay Head to attract the curious and 
the lovers of rare naturalscenery, who are neither scientific nor learned. 

" A section across Gay Head," says Prof Hitchcock, "four-fifths of a mile long, displays 
twenty-three bright colored bands of clay, sand, conglomerate, lignite, and iron ore. The 
sands are white, yellow and green. The conglomerates contain fragments of bones, and of 
teeth, cemented with stones." 

Prof. Gunning says, " Gay Head is classic ground to the geologist. To the mere lovers ot 
nature it is one of the most fascinating spots on the continent. Seen from a distance, the cape 
looks like a great banner, lifted over the sea, to symbolize an island won from his domain. And 
so it is. This grandeur is all from the ocean. The old, moaning, babbling giant, crawling at 
my feet, has been here on the cliff. This is his work, and a monument of his lost dominion." 

And yet, " the King shall have his own again." The dark-heaving sea is an insatiate mon- 
ster. Slowly, but surely, the work of destruction goes on. Old ocean is never quiet. 

«' Its restless surges eat away the shores 
Of earth's old continents; the fertile plain 
Welters in shallows : headlands crumble down." 

1 Lyell's Travels in Xonh America. Vol. I., page 2.J6. 
US) 



A visit to Gay Head would be but half-finished without an inspection of the lighthouse. It 
is about 45 feet in height, built on a cliff, 130 feet in height, whose base is washed and wasted 
by the waves of the Atlantic. 

The lighthouse on Gay Head, from its position one of the most important on the whole 
coast, contains a Fresnel lens of the first class, composed of one thousand and three pieces of 
the best and clearest glass, of different forms, all cut and highly polished, and so scientifically 
arranged and accurately set as to throw, horizontally, the rays of light from the single powerful 
lamp, far out over the waters. It is indeed a most "magnificent illuminator, the finest on our 
coasts, and perhaps unsurpassed in the world." 

The lamp burns three gallons of oil nightly ; and the whole apparatus cost, some years 
since, sixteen thousand dollars. Few persons visiting Gay Head would like to leave without 
first going up into the lantern and seeing the rare and costly mechanism which the government 
has provided to insure the safety of the passing voyager. A well-known writer' thus describes 
his experience at Gay Head : "At night we mounted the tower and visited the look-out gallery 
that belts the lighthouse at some distance below the lantern. Here we were surprised by a 
unique and splendid spectacle. The whole dome of heaven, from the centre to the horizon, was 
flecked with bars of misty light, revolving majestically on the axis of the tower. These lumi- 
nous bars, although clearly defined, were transparent ; and we could distinctly see the clouds and 
stars behind them. Of all the heavenly phenomena that I have had the good fortune to witness 
— borealis lights, mock suns, or meteoric showers — I have never seen anything that in mystic 
splendor equalled this trick of the magic lantern at Gay Head." 

CAPE COD. 

By taking the morning boats on the Old Colony Line, an opportunity is a'crded of 
making a trip over Cape Cod, visiting Provincetown, and the quaint old settlement- en the 
way. Two days could be passed very pleasantly in this manner. 

1 Porte Crayon, in Harper's Magazine for 1800, Vol. XXI. 
(49) 



FALMOUTH. 

By taking passage on the morning boats that touch at Fahnouth Heights, an opportunity 
is afforded of visiting that resort, and also the quaint old town of Falmouth adjacent to it. 
Falmouth Heights is a watering-place whose beginning dates back to 1872. Its situation is 
very desirable ; and from the high bluffs an excellent view may be obtained of the entire stretch 
of Vineyard Sound, and of the island itself directly opposite. About forty cottages, a fine 
hotel (Tower's House), and an observatory, on an eminence a short distance from it, comprise 
the summer settlement. A short walk leads to the town. Like the other seaport towns in this 
vicinity its commercial importance is a thing of the past. At present, an undisturbed quiet 
and companionable societ)^ are its chief attractions. To vary the return-trip, passage may 
be taken to Woods Hole, and thence by steamer to the Vineyard. 



MENAUHANT, 

(pronounced Men^nt), is an incipient watering-place, about six miles to the east of Falmouth. 
It was inaugurated last summer, and as yet consists only of a few cottages and a hotel, the latter 
having already earned an excellent reputation. A steam yacht furnishes communication with 
the Vineyard, A sail across the Sound, with dinner at the hotel, returning in the afternoon, is 
an enjoyable trip. 

Q^U I S S E T T. 

To any one wishing a few days' quiet, with good society, excellent living, and plenty of 
fishing, the cosey little retreat at Ouissett Harbor especially commends itself It is reached 
from Woods Hole — from which it is distant only two miles — by stage-coach, and by private 

(50) 



conveyance. The harbor is on Buzzard's Bay, and is so completely land-locked as to be indis- 
tinguishable a little way from the shore. This fact, coupled with the embellishments which 
nature has lavished upon it with unsparing hand, renders it the most attractive spot on the bay. 
The Quissett Harbor House is the one hotel of the place. 

FISHING. 

A person can hardly have " done " the season at the Vineyard without one or more fishing 
excursions. The favorite sport for "piscatorial Nimrods " in these waters is bluefishing, and 
justly so ; because, in the summer season, bluefish are caught more plentifully than any other 
kind ; are the largest, most acceptable to the palate ; and the excitement of catching them is 
increased by trolling over the stern of a swift yacht. Usually parties consist of from four to 
eight. The yacht is engaged over night ; and the matter of lines, bait, and fishing-grounds is 
left with the captain. The charge is usually a dollar an hour; occasionally, the larger boats 
charge more. Under favorable circumstances, the catch varies from a half dozen to threescore 
fish, averaging seven pounds. Besides blue fishing there are abundant opportunities for still 
fishing, all the commoner kinds of fish being found in great plenty. 

EXCURSIONS. 

Sailing parties and steamboat excursions are constantly taking place. The favorite courses 
of the latter are to Gay Head and back, around the island by day and by moonlight ; around the 
Elizabeth Islands to New Bedford, Woods Hole, and Falmouth Heights and return ; and a 
daily trip to Nantucket in the Old Colony boats, leaving Oak Bluffs about nine, and returning at 
four in the afternoon. Though the facts are pi etty generally known, it may not be inappropriate 
to remark in this connection, that the steamer " River Queen," of the Old Colony line, was once 
the head-quarters of President Lincoln ; and the " Monohansett," of the New Bedford line, served 
a similar purpose for Gen. Grant. 

(si) 



THE SHORE DRIVE. 



This road, beginning where the as^^halt boulevard terminates, runs along the beach, in 
close proximity, and nearly parallel, to the narrow-gauge railroad. It was built four years 
ago, by the town of Edgartown, at great expense, and has become the favorite drive on the 
island. It is about six miles long, with an average width of forty feet. The view given below 
is at the bridge, over the opening of Sanchacantackett pond. 




SEA VIEW BOULEVARD, LEADING To 
(50 



A WORD OF WARNING. 

Those who are solicited to purchase lands on Martha's Vineyard, having never visited the 
island, nor had any personal knowledge of the property, or of the person offering the same for 
sale, would do well to remember this friendly warning : Deal only with honest, reliable men, 
who' will not be ashamed to look you in the face at any time. Be sure that the lands offered 
are eligibly situated, and have some intrinsic worth. Before parting with your cash, make all 
wise and needful inquiries. 

Lands on the Vineyard, in the midst of scrub oaks, miles distant from all places of summer 
resort have been purchased by designing men at their full value,— one dollar per acre, — laid 
out J/ /^/^r^;///, into cottage lots, put into the market as the property of some company, 
havincr neither legal nor actual existence, and bought at exorbitant rates by some unwary per- 
sons who have found themselves owners of lands wholly unknown to the assessors, and not 
worth taxing, and have learned by bitter experience what it is to be the victims of a swindler. 

(53) 



j«'AWTUCKEl?j 







{(54) 



NANTUCKET. 



Although Nantucket was undoubtedly visited by the Northmen in their earlier voyages, the 
first authentic historical record is that of Gosnold, who discovered the group of which it is one, 
in 1602. Besides the larger island, the island of Tuckernuck is included within the county, the 
area of the two being about forty-eight square miles. In i64i they were deeded to Thomas 
Mayhew, by the agents of the Earl of Stirling and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and eighteen years 
later by him to nine associates, most of them residents of Salisbury, Mass., the consideration 
being thirty pounds in money and two beaver hats, with the reservation of certain privileges 
specified in the deed of conveyance. In addition to the claim thus established, the purchasers 
also made certain concessions to the Indians, thereby securing an amicable alliance with them. 
In 1659, Thomas Macy came to the island from Salisbury, driven from his own home by the 
religious intolerance of those early days, and founded the first settlement. He was soon fol- 
lowed by others ; and the habitation of Nantucket by white people became an assured fact 
About this time there were one thousand five hundred Indians on the island ; but pestilence and 
disease rapidly diminished the number, and in 1854 a half-breed was the only remnant of this 
once powerful people. His death occurred the same year. Nai\tucket was among the first 
settlements in the New World to inaugurate that industry, in the pursuance of which the mari- 
time nations of the other continent, especially the Basques, had gained great renown. Popular 

(55) 



tradition gives the names of several individuals vi'ho came to the island to assist its residents in 
the whale fishery ; but the weight"© evidence plainly points to Ichabod Paddock, a native of Cape 
Cod, as the man to whom belongs the honor of being the originator of whaling at Nantucket. He 
came to the island in 1690, and taught the people how to catch whales in boats from the shore, 
they being assisted by the Indians, who displayed great aptitude in a pursuit requiring both 
skill and nerve. Early in the eighteenth century, small sloops were fitted out to cruise about the 
shores ; and a few years later larger vessels were despatched to pursue the whales in distant 
climes. Wharves were built, new streets were laid out, building was rapidly pushed forward, 
and the place, from a mere settlement, was metamorphosed into an ambitious town of several 
thousand people. In 1775 the population was 4,500, and in 1840, 9,012. But this was the turn- 
ing point of its commercial importance. Various causes, — mqinly sharp competition and unpro- 
ductiveness of whaling ventures, — induced a decline. 

In i860 the population was 6,094, and in 1870, 4,123; and at the present time it is consider- 
ably less. As the number of inhabitants decreases each year, and being without hope of business 
revival, the future of the island bears rather a gloomy aspect. To the summer visitor, however, 
there is much of interest and enjoyment to attract his attention. As a quiet summer resort, it is 
favorably situated. It is distant from the Vineyard, — at its nearest, only eight miles ; it is but 
twenty miles south of Cape Cod ; one hundred and twenty-five miles from Boston, and two hun- 
dred and seventy-five miles from New York. It enjoys the same facilities for travel as the 
Vineyard, except that by way of New Bedford a change to Old Colony boats is made at the Oak 
Bluffs pier. In shape the island is like an imperfectly formed triangle, with the line of its base 
running north and south. It is about sixteen miles long from east to west, and, for the most part, 
from three to five miles wide ; its area is about forty-five square miles. The soil is light and 
unproductive. Once the island contained many trees, but, with the exception of a few pines that 
have been planted within a few years, there are no evidences of advanced vegetation. As to 
climate, it is mild and more equable in temperature than most places on the main-land. The 
opportunities for quiet enjoyment are almost unlimited. Fishing, boating, and bathing can be had 

(56) 



under the most favorable circumstances. Squantums, which signify in the vernacular a picnic 
and clam-bake, are of frequent occurrence. Trips to the lighthouse at Great Point, to Surf Side 
at the south shore, to Siasconset, a visit to Parker, the hermit. Sunset Heights and Sankaty 
Head-Light, are among the pleasures of the island. Siasconset is a post-village on the east 




NANTUCKET, FROM THU CHUKCH TOWER, 
(57) 



side of the island, consisting of a few fishermen's huts, very like those found so frequently on 
the coast of England. Ascending the tower of Sankaty Light, a little way from Siasconset, the 
keeper will point out that dread locality of this coast known as Nantucket Shoals, covering an 
area of fifty miles long by forty-five miles wide, so much feared by sailors. To the west of 
Siasconset, and not far distant, is Surf Side, an incipient watering-place that promises to 
become better known in the future. Its situation for the purpose is superb. The waters of the 
Atlantic dash themselves upon its beach with an endless, never-ceasing roar ; while the winds 
lose nothing of their saline purity by contamination with heated lands or forests. A restaurant 
supplies the needful refreshments to visitors. In close proximity there is also the building of 
the Humane Society, where are stored the boats for rescuing the crews of vessels cast away 
upon the shore ; the list of which is a long one, and the loss of life very large in years past. 
Beside the points of interest already mentioned, the home of the last of the Indians, the old 
house built in 1686, and the old wind-mill, are worth visiting. There is in the town a National 
bank, with a capital of $200,000 ; a savings bank ; several public halls, including a Town Hall, a 
number of well-conducted public schools ; a semi-weekly and a weekly newspaper ; nine churches, 
representing the Baptist, Episcopal, Congregational, Catholic, Friends, Unitarian and Metho- 
dist denominations ; an academy founded by Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, which has always had a 
deservedly high reputation ; also the Athenaeum with its library of 4,000 volumes, and a 
collection of curiosities from all parts of the world. The hotels on the island are the Ocean, 
Springfield, Sherburne, Bay View, Ocean View and Atlantic, the two last at Siasconset. Of 
these, the Ocean is the largest and best appointed, as between the others there is not much 
choice, as all of them are good second-class houses. 

In addition to the hotels there is a large number of excellent boarding-houses. To a 
stranger, Nantucket presents much that is quaint and odd to interest him. Prominent among 
these peculiarities are the compactness with which the town is built : the cobble-stone streets, 
the grim sombreness of the houses, the all-pervading rustiness and decay, the meat auctions, 
and, lastly, a peculiarity, that appears doubly so in these degenerate times, the open-hearted 

(58) 



.^^ 




hospitality of the people, and their unvarying politeness and affability to strangers. Of course, 
in a community so isolated, so little accustomed to excitement, eccentricities, that would hardly 
transcend that limit in the midst of business turmoil, gradually develop into idiosyncrasies. 
For instance, there is an individual, who, from saying so, and having not much else to engage 
his thoughts, has come to believe that every stranger visiting the island is sent hither as a 
messenger from some foreign potentate, bearing untold sums of money for his especial consola- 
tion ; and the mere mention of a possibility of the messenger's appropriating the funds to his 
own base purposes makes the old man well nigh frantic. Then, too, there is Clark, — every- 
body knows him, — who sells papers and cries auctions, — and of the latter there is one occur- 
ring constantly,— and does it all in one breath, having previously attracted attention by 
clanging a dinner-bell, or by giving a blast on a fish-horn. In this manner the people get a 
mixture of the news of the day, and interesting information respecting the cheapness of wearing 
apparel at any of the stores which happen to be "selling out" at the time. There are several 
important characters in the town which the visitor will not be long in finding out. 

From the Vineyard, Nantucket is reached by the excursion boats of the Old Colony line, 
which leave at about nine o'clock in the morning, and usually at four in the afternoon. The morn- 
ing boat returns in the afternoon, thus giving a day excursion, with several hours at Nantucket. 
The run through the Sound is something over two hours. Standing upon the shore at Oak 
Bluffs, Nantucket is on a line with Cape Poge Lighthouse ; and, as it is seen from the 
steamer's deck, it hangs like a cloud over the water, and, upon a nearer approach, appears like 
an immense tufted sandbank, the church-spires and house-tops of the town forming a central 
figure in the view. Across the mouth of the harbor there is an immense bar, stretching away, 
just under the surface of the water, miles from land. At low tide there are but seven feet of water, 
and the steamer not infrequently touches in crossing it. From the deck, sea clams are seen in 
great abundance. Once within the harbor, the water is deep, and the landing is soon made. 
The tourist will find Nantucket possesses claims as a watering-place that no other resort can 
maintain ; and for rest, quiet, solid enjoyment, good living, plenty of fishing and bathing, there 

are but few that can equal it on our coast. 

(60) 



GENERAL NOTES. 



The general healthfulness of Martha's Vineyard has long been noted. In this regard it is 
second to no other place. Mortuary records, covering a period of fifty years, show that thirty- 
four per cent, of all who die on the island reach the age of sixty ; and that more persons die 
between the ages of eighty and ninety years than between seventy and eighty ; and more 
between those years than between sixty and seventy. 

The water on the island is noted for its purity and excellence ; and a careful chemical analy- 
sis has shown that in this regard the popular opinion is well founded. Water is obtained at 
the depth of a few feet, varying with the elevation of the land. Generally an iron tube is forced 
into the ground to the requisite depth, a pump is attached, and the well is finished. 

The ordinary population of Martha's Vineyard is about 4,000 ; but in the height of the 
season there are estimated to be, on special occasions, more than 25,000 persons present. The 
regular steamboats bring and carry many hundreds daily ; while some of the largest boats that 
ply in American waters come occasionally, loaded with passengers. 

The number of vessels passing through the Sound, in sight of the Cottage City, is estimated 
to exceed 60,000 annually. 

Before the establishment of the Vineyard Grove post-office, and when Silvanus L. Pease, 
Esq., was postmaster at Edgartown, the mail matter for residents at the Camp-Ground came to 

(6.) 



his office, and was forwarded, daily, under his own personal supervision. But so rapidly did 
correspondence increase as to demand formal recognition from the Department. The result 
was a post-office, now under the charge of Francis P. Vincent, Esq., whose accommodations 
keep pace with the wants of the community. 

During the year 1875, 47,ooo letters and 12,000 postal cards were sent from this post-office. 
In the months of July and August, 1874, there were despatched 29,000 letters and 5,000 postal 
cards ; and in the corresponding months for 1875, 33,071 letters and 8,902 postal cards. Mails 
are received and sent so frequently, and the communication by telegraph is so prompt, that 
visitors almost forget that they are on an island. 

(62) 




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OImU COLiONY 



THIE 







HEff YOEK, 



"'Udelph*^ 



: BOSTON, 



F^LL RIVER, TAUNTON, IVETTPOUT, 

PEOVIDENOE, WORCESTER, SPRINGFIELD, LOWELL, LAWRENCE, riTOHBUEG, 
AND THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



EXPRESS TRAIHS. PARLOR CARS. CLOSE CONNECTIONS. 

Special Steamboat Trains between Newport and Woods Holl for New York Passengers, 

THROUGH TICKETS AND BAGGAGE CHECKS. 

Pier 28 '^. Kiver, New York, (Fall River Line.) DEPOTS. Comer South and Kneeland Streets, Boston. 

See Handbills for Arrangement of Trains and Steamers. J, R, KENDRICK, Sapt> 



STONINGTON LINE.— BOSTON and NEW YORK, 

J^1<T1D ^I_.I_. IPOinSTTS SOXJTH: J^INTID "WEST. 

DAILY (Sunday exccpteil), at 6.00 P.M. 
STEAMERS : 

RHODE ISLAND, NARRAaANSETT, STONINQTON. 

Landins: Place [^^ , m - Cars equipped 

with the Miller 

- - . . -^--~-----**=aai«aiH«««^^ Platform. 

New York, Pier i i ^!S ! X t^J^ SJ^Bi^SS^^:^* ^ !^^ Speed, Comfort, 

33, North River. ^^^^^^^P-t^ "^ ^"^ Safety. 



and Wharf in 




SHORE LINE.— BOSTON and NEW YORK, 

jLJsriD ^XjXj ipoiistts sotjth: ^itriD aatest. 

Two Daily Trains at lo.oo A.M. and 9.30 P.M. Sunday at 9.30 P.M. 
Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL, DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at 1 P.M. and 10 P.M. 

WAGNER'S DRAWING-ROOM CARS ON DAY TRAINS. 
Wagner's Sleeping-Cars on Night Trains. 



^mmM.i£i Tim DM. 

A beautifully wooded peninsula near Vineyard Haven, looking out on Holmes' Hole Harbor. It is 
one of the very choicest spots on the island, and is held by the proprietor for select ]3arties, who wish to 
purchase plots of half an acre or more, and erect handsome cottages. 

Inquire on the premises, or of Thomas Hine, Vineyard Haven, or of the proi^rietor, 

C. C. HIXE, 
176 Hroadway, New Vork City. 



MAINE STHAMSHIP COMPANY.-SHMI-WHEKLY LINE. 

The fine steamers Eleanora and Franconia, will leave New York and Portland every Monday and 
Thursday, P.M., touching at Vineyard Haven, during the summer months, in their passage to and from 
New York. 

As these steamers run direct to Vineyard Haven, passengers will avoid the annoyance and trouble 
of changing baggage, &c., and will also avoid the heat and dust incident to Railroad travel. For further 
information, apply to HENRY FOX, Gen'l Agent, Portland. 

J. F. AMES, Agt., Pier 3S, E. R., New York. 

F R^ ^ TV li • C . S?; IVI I T II , 

REAL ESTATE BROKER, AUCTIONEER AND INSURANCE AGENT. 

Cottages and Lots for Sal© on Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Highlands, Camp-Ground and Kat-m-. 

■Contracts tiiketi fur Buil.ling. Rcpairiiisr and Painting Cottages. PtTsonal attention given to closing and talking caru 
of CottHges in the absence of owners, ,<everal Houses and Farms for Sale. Cottages and I'ents lo let. 

OFFICE AT HEWIXS' KXPKESS IJIILDING, 121 ClliC I IT AVKME, 
OAK BLUFFS, MARTHA'S VINEYARD. 



LVw?v|?riii»'* 



Rrthas^ 



^riJi 




'I'his popular lintei isasaiii o]^L>n tor the sea<;n; . 
New Bedtbrd. The house is siuiated at the water' 
ades. ' The appointments are in every respect f 
and steam heaters. The rooms, botli pubjc and r. 
extensive outlooks upon llie Vmeyan; Sound. Cipei 
both the European and Aiuer;c.ni plans ; the price 



Mr. H. M iii!< 
the Oak l-.uffs La 



WNiLi.. oi" the Parker House, 

iidin^r and the public promen- 

■.ini; wiili every room, elevator, 

1. while the views comprise 

I lie linuse iscouducted upon 

, and $2 dtiring August. 



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